The Pittsburgh Penguins were not the only winner last night.
Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals drew a 4.3/8 overnight last night, up 79% from a 2.4 for last year’s clinching Game 5, which was played on a Wednesday. The rating peaked with a 5.8/10 from 11:00-11:30 PM.
NBC averaged 5.8 million viewers, according to preliminary numbers, good for a fourth place finish for the night. Among adults 18-49, NBC drew a 2.5/7 among, tying CBS for the top spot in the demo.
The 4.3 is the highest overnight ever for an NHL telecast on NBC, ahead of a 4.1 for Game 7 of the Hurricanes/Oilers series two years ago. The 4.3 is the highest for Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals since 2002, when Red Wings/Hurricanes Game 5 drew a 4.5/8. Additionally, the rating is the best for any NHL game since the very last game before the lockout — Game 7 of the Lightning/Flames series in 2004 drew a 5.4/9.
In prime time (from 8:00-11:00 PM), the game drew a 3.8/6 overnight. The 3.8 prime time overnight did not factor in the three overtimes, which caused the game to air until around 12:50 AM last night in the home markets of Pittsburgh and Detroit.
